166 



ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF 



The following shows the number of rattans imported into the United 

 Kingdom in the last six years : — 



FROM THE 



1853 



1854 



1855 



1856 



1857 



619,090 



4,216,425 



275,822 



838,056 



4,082,019 

 302,346 



1858 



Hanse Towns 



2,450,130 



1,680,356 



6,499,843 

 71.925 



176,030 

 2,072,410 



1,780,547 



8,784"830 

 209,340 



176,030 

 255,125 



1.265,299 



6,160,281 

 58,426 



272,450 

 3,790,405 



127,'oi7 



3,588,769 

 62,060 





Holland 



898,241 





462,160 





5^7,877 





413,653 



British East Indies 



15,482,S93 





780,544 









(0,708,254 



13,023,157 



7,915,161 



7,840,701 



10,303,758 



18,625,368 



The computed real value is thus given in the Board of Trade returns : — 



1854 £15,736 1857 £28,501 



1855 9,616 1858 38,960 



1856 15,681 



In 1857 they were estimated to be worth 5s. 6d. per 100 ; in 1858, 4s. to 



4s. 6d. per 100. In 1854 they were only worth 2s. 5d. 



Birmingham. 



ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE PEARL OYSTER 



OF CEYLON. 



BY E. F. KELAART, M.D., F.L.S. 



The Condatcby Bank, which was reported to contain in _1857 a large 

 quantities of oysters in shallow water (three fathoms), does not at 

 present contain many matured oysters. A few only of a middle size are 

 found there. But in deeper water, near the former bed, oysters of various 

 sizes are found in small clusters on stones, and a few large ones attached to 

 sea-weeds. This looks as if the oysters are spreading into deep parts of 

 the sea. There not being a sufficient quantity of large oysters in this bank, 

 I have not been able to determine what quantities of pearls these oysters yield. 

 One out of about twelve opened, contained a few small pearls. A few small 

 oysters are found scattered in various parts of the sea, in all depths, but 

 it will be years before large beds can be formed from tbese scattered ones. 

 The Cheval Paar Bank, fished this year, has, in my opinion, oysters of two 

 different ages, but so intermixed one with the other, that it is impossible to 

 fish for the larger, without bringing up also the smaller ones. The pro- 

 portion of small to large ones is, in some parts of the banks, one to three ; 

 in other parts, as one to two. I totally differ in opinion from the Adigar of 

 Manaar, as to this number of small oysters being of the same age as 

 the larger ones. His comparison of them to " small men and women, and 

 large men and women, though of the same ages," may hold good in a few 

 cases. But when we find so large a proportion of oysters, whose shells and 

 internal parts positively demonstrate their youth, I am certainly disposed 

 to place more confidence in my own opinion, and that of the Maniagar of 

 Jaffna, and natives who are purchasers of the oysters ; viz., that the oysters 



